A semiconductor device, such as a semiconductor device having a through silicon via (TSV) structure, is manufactured by several distinct processes such as via formation, wiring formation, insulating layer formation, and bump formation, after a thinning process. A support substrate may be used to handle and transport a semiconductor substrate between processes. To facilitate handling and transport, the semiconductor substrate may be bonded to a support substrate with an adhesive material. After processing, the semiconductor substrate must be separated from the support substrate.
The semiconductor substrate is bonded to the support substrate by an adhesive material which may reliably peel away to separate the semiconductor substrate from the support substrate after the processes. Such an adhesive material may comprise, for example, a structure of two or more layers including an adhesion layer having an adhesive function and a peel-off layer having a peel-away function.
It is desirable to prevent position deviation during processing while the semiconductor substrate is bonded to the support substrate. Therefore, in a peripheral portion of the semiconductor substrate, the peel-off layer is not formed and the adhesion layer directly contacts the semiconductor substrate. After processing, when the semiconductor substrate is peeled away from the support substrate, the portion where the adhesion layer directly contacts the semiconductor substrate may inhibit the separation. This adhesion layer may be removed by, for example, dissolving the adhesion layer with a liquid solvent or directly removing the adhesion layer with a blade or the like.
The liquid solvent used during semiconductor processing may dissolve or swell the adhesion layer, causing detachment of the semiconductor substrate during processing. Use of an adhesion layer having a tolerance to the liquid solvent used in during semiconductor processing may also result in a lower dissolution rate of the adhesion layer for separation purposes, lowering productivity. Direct removal with a blade or similar tool may reduce an effective area of the peripheral portion of the semiconductor substrate, also lowering productivity.